Former president Clinton shares advice at Autotask Community Live

Channel Marker is the blog companion to SearchITChannel.com and SearchCloudProvider.com, websites that cover business and technology issues important to channel partners such as resellers, managed service providers and cloud solution providers. Channel Marker is the home for short articles that explore emerging technology trends and provide additional depth to the news and feature articles that appear on our channel sites.

At the Autotask Community Live 2017 conference this week, managed service providers got some words of advice from former president Bill Clinton.

Clinton, the 42nd president who was in office from 1993 to 2001, delivered a keynote address at the Autotask event, discussing topics ranging from his decision to unscramble GPS signals to the Human Genome Project. He also shared a few observations on running a business:

Download this free guide

Could Securing Your Channel Business Be Easier? We Can Help.

Download our latest guide to the top strategies solution providers can leverage for starting up and securing a cloud practice, successful approaches to selling and marketing cloud, and why it is urgent for partners to transition now.

By submitting my Email address I confirm that I have read and accepted the Terms of Use and Declaration of Consent.

By submitting your personal information, you agree that TechTarget and its partners may contact you regarding relevant content, products and special offers.

You also agree that your personal information may be transferred and processed in the United States, and that you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.

Establish a vision and don’t neglect the “how”

Clinton told Autotask Community Live attendees the job of a leader is to “tell people where we are,” establish a vision of where to go, involve the people who want to get there and then execute.

He emphasized the importance of discussing “how” a vision is to be executed during the decision-making process. He noted that public policy debates during his time in office often focused on what a policy aimed to do and its cost. As a consequence, very little discussion centered on how a particular idea was to be implemented, he said. He suggested the situation is compounded today in a Snapchat and Twitter world of 10-second and 140-character communications.

Deal with the unexpected

Business leaders must handle misfortune while still staying with the company’s vision, Clinton said.

“You have to deal with the unanticipated incoming fire,” he said. And leaders must consider the nature of the response, he added, noting if all an organization does is react, it can lose its original purpose.

Prepare to enter new territory

Clinton cited a takeaway from Ron Chernow’s soon-to-be-published biography of Ulysses S. Grant as an important lesson for business owners. Clinton, who apparently has had an early look at the book, said the bio discusses Grant’s Civil War strategy of renewing the initiative after each battle, rather than occupying territory. Occupation diverted troops who could not be used in future offensives.

Clinton also noted Grant fought his battles on unfamiliar territory. He suggested businesses should be built to “operate on unfamiliar ground” and prepared for the inescapability of change.

Crowdsource decision making

Clinton also cited the effectiveness of diverse groups in decision making as opposed to relying on a “lone genius.”

The wisdom of crowds, which reflect different ways of thinking and different instincts, performs better when it comes to addressing complex challenges, he told Autotask Community Live attendees.

Start the conversation

0 comments

Send me notifications when other members comment.

Register

Login

Forgot your password?

Your password has been sent to:

By submitting you agree to receive email from TechTarget and its partners. If you reside outside of the United States, you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States. Privacy